Here are my reviews of the Daughters & Ryan blends I have tried. I know some think that most of their blends are “roll your own”, but I have found that’s not necessarily true. While some easily fall into that category, a number of them do not, and all are worth smoking in a pipe. Many of them are shag cut, and all are dry out of the bag or tin, so I always recommend a slow puffing cadence when you smoke them, though I prefer hydrated tobacco. You’re not paying for water weight. Many of these blends have no casings or toppings, so you can expect true tobacco flavor in most of these products.
Athey:
The Virginia is grassy, hay-like, and citrusy sweet with a slight honey note, and stands out beyond what else you will taste. All the toppings are very mild, with the molasses being more noticeable than the others. The Scotch/Drambuie is lightly, sweetly evident, and I don’t know what the “light botanical topping” is, but the slight floral essence from it plays well with the other flavors as does every other one I previously noted. Has a mild to medium nic-hit. Burns fast but cool with a consistent flavor, no moisture and a pleasing after taste. A nice work and play smoke.
Avanti:
I don’t get any vanilla from the black cavendish, so it must be unsweetened. The double toasted burley is indeed toasty and nutty with a slight sharpness. The Virginias are grass and hay with some natural sweetness. Blender Mark Ryan said that there are “seven proprietary toppings that I am not at liberty to disclose.” Toppings are, next to orientals, the hardest thing to figure out most of the time, and I can’t figure out which ones this product uses. They do somewhat sublimate the tobacco taste. I sense both a dry and a sweet wine, and something that gives a feel of alcohol. I’m thinking both red and white wine are in the mix, particularly the latter. I’m no liquor expert, but the presence of one or more is obvious to me, and I suspect drambuie is one of them. I also get a hint of orange and a slight floral essence. Burns at a moderate pace with a sweet, consistent flavor like none I’ve ever tasted in a tobacco blend. A smooth, cool and dry smoke that leaves virtually no moisture in the bowl. Has a little nicotine, and a nice after taste and room note.
Cockstrong:
The burley is the star component: toasty, nutty and oat-like, with a little sharp earthiness and a touch of sweetness. The flue cured gold leaf is grassy with a touch of citrus. The Orientals are dry, woody, and lightly smoky. There are no toppings. I did encounter a few cigarette notes along the way, but it didn’t detract from the experience. You’ll notice all the flavors in every puff. Burns well with almost or no relights, and leaves no moisture. Has a very noticeable nic-hit. Performs best when smoked slowly. Though it isn’t as strong as the name may indicate, it’s just over the all day smoke threshold.
English Hoopla:
The Cyprian latakia is smoky, woody with a mild sweetness. The Oriental is woody with a slight sour note, a little earth, and toward the finish, seems to have a spice note. The Virginia is grassy, citrusy sweet, and acts as the base for the other components to play off. It’s the least noticeable of the three tobaccos. Even though the latakia takes the lead over the other ingredients, it doesn’t over take the Oriental and Virginia. The anisette and vanilla toppings are lightly applied, with the former being a little more obvious than the latter. Both are smooth with some creaminess, and they do not detract from the flavors of the tobaccos. Has a moderate nic-hit. Well balanced, it burns at a moderate pace with very few relights with a cool consistency, and leaves virtual no moisture in the bowl.
London Dock:
The double toasted burley is the basic star; toasty, a little sweet, grassy, earthy and nutty. The Virginia is citrus, grass and hay. The Oriental offers a sour note and wood in a minor way. The perique is slightly noticeable with spice, and a touch of raisins and figs. The coumarin is very slightly vanilla-like, and adds a nice floral context. The rum is very mild and sweet. Well balanced with a nice complexity, it has a very consistent flavor from the first puff to the last one, but needs to be smoked at a slow to moderate pace to catch them all. Burns well and cool with no dull or harsh spots (unless you puff fast), and leaves no moisture. Three and a half stars, though I am tempted to give it four.
Ramback Regular:
The Turkish is choice: fairly woody, earthy, and toasty, slightly floral and spicy, with a few sweet and sour notes. There are no toppings, and the cut is closer to shag than ribbon. Dry as are all the D&R blends, it burns quickly and can be harsh if you puff fast. Not very nuanced as it is a straight Turkish, and not an all day smoke, but it does well in small to medium doses. Has some nicotine, leaves no moisture. It reminds me a little of smoking a Camel cigarette in your pipe, and if you like that, you’ll like this. Would make a good mixer, too.
Rimboche A.B.:
The first thing that hit my taste buds was the tangy spice from the dark fired tobacco that was processed by the perique method. It is a little raisiny, figgy, smoky and woody, too. There’s a “touch” of latakia present, but noticeable in most every puff and adds a sweet, very smoky, woodiness. I think more than a touch is present, but the latakia always plays back up. The flue cured gold Virginias are the base for the other components to shine; grassy and hay-like with some citrus and a drop or two of honey. Has no toppings. Very well balanced with a consistent flavor to the finish. Leaves no moisture. It does benefit a little from some hydration, but it does very well dry, and isn’t really necessary due to the richness of flavors. And I seldom smoke bone dry tobacco. Has a nice nic-hit. Will not bite, but the spice is pleasantly tingly all the way, including the after taste.
Rimboche, S.J.:
The Virginia is grassy sweet with some citrus and a touch of honey. The Saint James perique is more plumy sweet than peppery in a very complimentary supporting role, and is noticeable in every puff. There are no toppings. I suggest you hydrate this one first, but if you don’t, it’ll burn fairly quickly without harshness, unless you puff like a winded Superman after a race. The flavor is consistent with a decent nic-hit, and leaves no moisture in the bowl. An all day smoke for the VaPer aficionado who wants a break from heavier blends in this genre.
Rowland Regular:
The Virginia is grassy, citrusy sweet with a drop of honey. The burley is nutty, toasty sweet and well complements the Virginia without over taking it. The Oriental is a minor component, very slightly spicy, smoky and woody. The very light chocolate topping is mildly sweet, and doesn’t detract from the tobacco taste. It has a mellowing affect that smooths out the blend. Burns well and cool with hardly a relight, no moisture, and a consistent flavor. Has a slightly more than mild nic-hit.
Ryback:
The burley is toasty, nutty sweet. The Virginia is grassy, citrus sweet. The dark fired Kentucky is earthy, spicy and slightly woody and sweet. Dry as a bone, and being a shag cut, burns quickly, but not harsh unless you puff it fast. I prefer to hydrate it. The spiciness almost dominates the flavor, though the sweetness of the tobaccos is right there to compliment and contrast it. No casing or topping. Has a fair amount of nicotine. Leaves no moisture and if you like this kind of tobacco, you will appreciate the after taste.
Three Sails:
A simple uncomplicated Virginia with natural citrusy sweetness and some grassiness. Reminds me exactly of Three Castles, which I used to enjoy, and I suspect this is what the Castles once was. I also get a few familiar notes that reminds me of Sir Walter Raleigh Aromatic. I'm not comparing those two blends because they are different (e.g., SWRA has a topping and burley, and this has neither), but they both must use a similar type of Virginia. Puff at a slow to moderate rate, and Three Sails will do well, won’t bite or get harsh or amazingly cigarette-like, though you’ll get some of the latter no matter how slow you puff. Puff fast, and you risk all of that and more. Leaves no moisture, and being a dry shag cut, burns quickly, but not hot if you pace the smoke. Has a nice nic-note.
Two Timer:
The burley is toasty, and very nutty with natural sweetness. While it may be used as a RYO, it’s a good smoke with a little nicotine punch. Puffed at a moderate rate, it’ll mostly keep its flavor and not get harsh. Puffed fast, it’ll have some cigarette notes, a little loss of flavor and possibly some harshness. Has no casing or topping. Burns quickly, but not hot, clean with no moisture and some nicotine. Nice, uncomplicated all day smoke that does even better with some hydration.
Two Timer Gold:
This is Two Timer with Virginia, and with that exception, the smoking qualities are the same. The burley is toasty, and very nutty with natural sweetness. The Virginia is a little grassy with some citrus and a touch of honey. While it may be used as a RYO, it’s a good smoke with a little nicotine punch. Puffed at a moderate rate, it’ll mostly keep its flavor and not get harsh. Puffed fast, it’ll have some cigarette notes, a little loss of flavor and possibly some harshness. Has no casing or topping. Burns quickly, but not hot, clean with no moisture. Nice, uncomplicated all day smoke that does even better with some hydration.
Vengeur Regular:
The flue-cured Virginia is grassy and mildly sweet with a touch of citrus. The burley is a little toasty, nutty, but has very little sweetness. The Oriental is slightly floral and woody in a supporting role. A thin ribbon cut that burns fairly quickly, this needs to be sipped to avoid harshness, and provide a smooth smoke. Leaves no moisture and has a mild to medium nic-hit. Has no casing or topping. I recommend a little hydration as the tobacco is very dry, which will enhance the flavors a bit. An all day smoke that wears well in repeat performances.
VIP:
The light and brown Virginias are buttery sweet with a hint of grass and earth, and some citrus. The smell of the tobacco from an open tin is fruity: apricots, figs and raisins, and much of that is mildly evident in the smoke. The perique is more fruity than peppery, but the latter is an important part of the experience. The tobacco is dry out of the tin, so you may prefer to hydrate it. I found the flavors stood out more when I did. Burns well, cool and very smooth with a consistent flavor, no dottle, and no chance of bite. The sweet taste never wanes or gets boring, and the after taste pleasantly lingers long enough for you to immediately considering having another bowl right away. It doesn't have much nicotine, and may not have enough strength satisfy hardcore VaPer smokers, but for those who aren't, it's a four star blend.
William’s Delight:
The double toasted burley is very toasty, and a little sweet, grassy, earthy and nutty. I also got the sense of oats a number of times. There’s not much of the Orientals present, but they are woody, and have a very minor floral and spice hit along with some sourness. The black cavendish is apparently unsweetened, but it adds some smoothness to the tobaccos. The vanilla casing is extremely mild. This is a coarse cut blend that burns at a moderate rate even when dry. And speaking of dry, the light sour dryness throughout the smoke contrasts with the sweet flavors, but has a slight sour, woody bitterness near the finish. That bitterness lingers as in the after taste as does the sweetness. Has some nicotine, leaves no moisture, and while not a powerhouse, I wouldn’t classify this as an all day smoke.
